Cauterizer



Jung 3. 1924.

1,496,438 Q. w. wALLERlcH CAUTERI ZER Fixed may 1e. 1921 ,5

Hof wire 77p Patented June 3, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE W. WALLERICH, OI1 CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, AssIGNOR rro V. MUELLER & OO., or VcI-IIcAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION or ILLINOIS.

OAUTERIZER.

Application filed May 16, 1921. Serial No. 469,829.

To all whom t may concer-n.'

Be it known that I, GEORGE 1V. IALLE- RICH, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cauterizers, of which the following is a specification.V

This invention relates to cauterizers, structural features thereof, and to the methods of operating same.

Heretofore cauterizers of the general character referred to have usually been provided Vwith switching contacts, levers, springs or the like, mounted on the side of the instrument or handle as a result of which, the Operation of the switch in such instruments is sometimes awkward and results in a tendency to throw the cauterizer sidewise.

The main objects of the invention are to provide an improved form of eauterizing instrument adapted for greater facility in use, and especially having a more convenient form and arrangement of switching means; to vprovide and arrange a switch in such manner as to Operate in a manner substantially similar to the method of Operating numerous other surgical instruments, that is to say, by longitudinal thrust movement by means of the thumb; to provide a more dependable switch contact adapted to insure a positive connection for low voltage currents such as customarily used with such instruments; and to provide for yielding, and more or less rotary action of the switch members, whereby their contact surfaces may be kept clean and operative.

An illustrative embodiment of this invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of the instrument as held in the hand of the operator, the switch handle being in its open position.

Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section through the instrument, positioned substantially as shown in Figure 1.

Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the instrument as viewed from the left of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a cross-section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a cross-section at the line 5 5 on Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a cross-section at the line 6-6 of Fig. 2, and shows the switch in its open cauterizer attachment 2, switching means 3,

a handle part 4 provided with a peripheral fingerrest or groove 5, and a thumb operated switch plunger 6 having an end ring 7 to receive the thumb. TheV casing 1 is also provided with a pair of binding postterminals 8 to receive current supply wires 9 leading to a source of current as, for instance, a two-,cell battery 10.

, Referring to the structural features more in detail, the said casing is of tubular construction and encloses a pair of mutually insulated metallic bars, one of which designated 13, is continuous, and the other comprising two parts 14 and 15, is divided ,centrally and electrically separated from each other as at 16. The forward ends of members 13 and 14 are enlarged and provided with apertures to receive the supporting ends 17 of the attachment 2. The head part 18 of member 14 is right angular in shape and extends at the left side and over the top of the head part 19 of member 18 'as viewed in Fig. 3. The apertures 2O for attachment 2 are inclined downwardly so as to cause the attachment 2 to project upward somewhat. The apertures 21 are parallel with the main axis of the frame 1 so as to hold the attachment 2 parallel with the frame 1. Another aperture 22 in the upper part of head 18 may be used with aperture 21 in head part 19 to hold the attachment 2 in a vertical plane instead of a horizontal plane as provided for by the two apertures 21.

The adjacent ends of bar members 14- and 15 have threaded holes to receive the threaded ends of the binding posts 8, the casing 1 being perforated to receive said binding posts as shown in Fig. 2.

The Opposite end of the casing 1 is provided with a threaded metallic cap 23 containing the movable member 24 of the switch.

The switchV 3 comprises three parts, namely, the linner ends 25 and25 of bars and 13 respectively which are hollowedV out to Jform a spilt cylindrical coupling, and a Vshort-circ'uiting member represented by the integral cup-like member 24, having its orward open end split longitudinally to provide numerous tongues 26 to itit yieldingly against the inner walls of the cup shown at 25 and 25. In order to insure good contact and positive operation, the adjacent edges of the cup and tongue members are correspond- Y ingly beveled, the former; divergently, and

the latter convergentlyfin the direction oi their relative movement in closing the switch. Y

Inorder that the switchl maybe self-restoring and p open automatically when released, the cap 23 is provided with a chamber 27'containing Va helical compression spring28 seated at its inner'end against the shoulder 29 on cap 23, and a threaded ring serted in the head of the device where se-l cured by screws 33 and a source of current Y having proper voltage is connected at. the

terminals'8. The instrument is then grasped in the hand as shown in Figure 1, and the point of the cauterizer attachment is appliedV to the object to `be cauterized, whereupon the switch is operated by thethumb to pro duce the desired ornecessa-ry heat control according to the judgment of theuser. The pivotalsetting `of the thumb ring member and the Vplunger actionV thereof Vfacilitate ready and accurate voperation of the deli-V cately responsive switch member4 without any appreciable tendency to throw the instrument out of balance or cause undesired movement thereof.

The electrical circuit when the switch is closed, extends through the several parts, which may be enumerated in order Vas fol'- lows: Starting at the positive side of the battery, thecurrent is carried-to one of the binding postsy 8 `and thence to' bar 15, through the switch 3, bar 13, head' 19,

cauterizer attachment 2, bar 14, the other binding post 8, and thence back to the negative side of the battery.

Although butpone specificy embodiment otl this invention has been herein shownand described, it will be understood that numerous details or the construction shown may be altered or omitted ,without departing from theV spirit of this invention as delined by the following claims.

l claim: Y y l. s, 1. An electric hot-wire cauterizer having an oblong body provided with a longitudinally operable switch to control the electric circuit, Vand a rearward thumb piece rotatively rockable. coaxially with said body to accommodate the thumbV in variousposi-V tions, said thumb piece being Voperatively connected to said switch. Y Y

2. Ina cauterizer, an' oblong body Vor` frame part adapted Jfor gripping. in the hand and a thumb operated plunger switch mounted coaxially-therein, said frame part having electric circuit connections including a pair of spaced rigid stationary switchconi j tactsv of arcuate shape, and the thumb controlled plunger having an annular longitudinally tongufedV contact member of re'- silient character to electrically-Yconnectsaid contacts when the plunger is advanced, said switchV parts, frame. andf plunger being formed and arranged to interit telescopically androtatably. Y Y

3. A cauterizer comprising a hollowbody esV part of insulating material, a cap mounted iz;

on one end'of said body part, a stationary contact member fixed within saidfbody part, an axially movable plungerA extending through said cap, a movable'contact member mounted on the innerend 'of said'plunger v and arranged to coact with said fixed contact member Jfor controlling an electric circuit, coacting shoulders on said movable contact member and cap arranged to limit spring normally urging said plunger axially outwardly for disengaging said contact members, and a handle arranged on the outer end of said plunger, whereby the latter may be thrust inwardly. Y Y f Signed at Chicago this 9th day o.May, 1921.V i Y i GEORGE W. WALLERICH.

the outward movement of said plunger, a 

